Overlap (2)?
Do people still refuse to believe that politics and religion sometimes overlap? We pointed out previously that certain topics of a religious nature often find their way into the political arena. Is murdering someone a Biblical subject? Yes, and it also concerns the state. Christians have the right to speak out on any moral issue that is being considered by the state as well. Brethren have spoken out against abortion, homosexuality, gambling, and various other issues, in which Christian principles ought to be applied. But for those who are skittish about doing so or who even think that brethren ought to remain silent, well, the situation described below is worth thinking about.
The Speaker of the House invited Jack Hibbs, one of the leaders of the Chino Hills Calvary Chapel (a megachurch), located in Southern California, to lead a prayer in the House Chamber on January 30, 2024. Well, isn’t this mixing religion and politics? Yes, the two have been intertwined since the very beginning of this nation. But in this instance, several people protested what Hibbs said. Horrors! What did he do? According to the Townhall post by Tom Tradup on March 3, 2024, Hibbs invoked the name of Jesus. Is that shocking? He closed by saying, “I offer this prayer to you, Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son and our crucified Savior and resurrected Lord. Amen.” Sounds typical to most of us, doesn’t it?
Surely that could not be the first time anyone ended a prayer that way in the House Chamber. Do Jews not mention the name of Jehovah? Have Imams not mentioned the name of Allah? Yet “26 Democratic members of Congress” (including one of the members of “the squad”) wrote a letter of condemnation. This action makes no sense. Are those invited to pray for this country restricted as to what they can say and in whose name they pray? Hibbs did nothing more than what most Christians do (this defense is not of him personally—but rather of the freedom to be able to pray in the name of Jesus), which we find mentioned in John 14:13: “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do….”
Hibbs could be faulted for stepping out from behind his pulpit at Calvary Chapel to endorse a political candidate (as though this were not an official church action). But, then, is the IRS serious about penalizing churches who promote various candidates? Then how about “Jamal Bryant of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church condemning 2022 GOP Senate candidate hopeful Herschel Walker and encouraging his congregation to vote for Democrat Raphael Warnock…”? Did anyone suggest that their tax-exempt status might be in jeopardy? Hmmm. “The legs of the lame are not equal” (Pr. 26:7, KJV). South Seminole’s approach has always been to provide information about where candidates stand on moral issues and let the members make an informed decision.